Tourist influx at Marhi, Sissu up after snowfall

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, NOVEMBER 13

Snow has become a major attraction for tourists. They are flocking Marhi near Manali to witness and enjoy various adventure activities in snow. The eco-friendly market in Marhi has started catering to tourists.

Pooja Joshi from Maharashtra said that she was elated to witness the snow and she enjoyed her stay here. Another traveller Jayasree from Kolkata said that her trip to Manali was a memorable experience. She said that the pristine beauty of the Himalayas had made an unfading impression in her mind and she would like to visit this valley again.

The tourists are also visiting Sissu valley in Lahaul after crossing the Atal Tunnel Rohtang to witness the snow. The tourism beneficiaries in Sissu are doing good business and hopeful that the tourist rush will increase in the times to come. Sissu has become a new hub for the tourists as permit is required to go to Marhi or Rohtang Pass beyond the Gulaba barrier as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The hoteliers were expecting good business due to early snowfall. They said that the influx of tourists was very lean from July to October and now the tourists influx had started increasing as the adventure activities on the snow had resumed after the snowfall.

Vinay, a hotelier, said that this year there were fewer bookings as compared to the previous years. He said that the bad condition of the road and poor publicity was the major cause of decline of tourist influx. He said that even the number of hospitality units had increased manifold due to which the revenue of various units was witnessing a decline. He said that the tourists were also getting divided with the hospitality units of Lahaul after the opening of Atal Tunnel Rohtang.

The beneficiaries of the tourism industry said that weekend tourism had grown over the years but the ongoing construction of Kiratpur-Nerchowk-Kullu national highway, progressing at a snail’s pace for the last many years, had deterred the tourists from visiting this hill station. They said that the work should be carried out on a war footing as this was affecting their livelihood.

Meanwhile, those associated with the tourism industry have demanded that the cap on vehicles and the NGT barrier in Gulaba should be removed now as the traffic to Lahaul was going through the tunnel. They have urged the government to approach the NGT to review its decision of capping the number of vehicles and charging Rs 500 per vehicle to go to the Rohtang Pass. They added that Rohtang pass was a world famous tourist attraction and efforts should be made to maintain its grandeur.